Written Answers Tuesday 21 October 2008

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Ambulance Service will implement a cleaning audit process throughout the service.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Ambulance Service has national infection control policies in place, including a well defined cleaning and disinfection policy. Processes require that vehicles should have both a daily and a weekly clean and that the interior of the vehicle is wiped down after each patient. These practices are subject to regular audit and review.

  The service is working towards implementation of the NHS Scotland National Cleaning Services Specification and Monitoring Framework. A pilot delivering this through joint working with the local NHS Domestic Services Department in two of the largest stations (Edinburgh and Paisley) was successful. The service are in the process of rolling this model out to the other stations within the boundaries of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian. Once in place, vehicle cleaning at these stations will be monitored monthly in line with the national monitoring framework developed by Health Facilities Scotland.

  The service is considering the most effective option to deliver the National Cleaning Standard and Monitoring Framework across the rest of Scotland.

Aquaculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to operators of Scottish airports about the desire of the aquaculture sector for an airport in Scotland with facilities to handle live fish under the Border Inspection Post (BIP) system.

Michael Russell: It may be that a Scottish airport could be persuaded to seek BIP status if it was satisfied that the likely volume of trade justified the cost of providing the necessary facilities. If the Scottish aquaculture industry trade organisations can build such a case I would be happy to support it.

Crofting

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, if it winds up the Bull Hire Scheme in 2009, it intends to sell Knocknagael stud farm and, if so, whether the money raised will be ring-fenced for the support of crofting.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government announced on 1 October 2008 that it considered the Bull Hire Scheme to be unsustainable in its present form and would end it by the summer of 2009, with the resources presently allocated to the Bull Hire Scheme remaining within crofting. It proposes to replace the scheme with new arrangements designed to facilitate private bull hire and to support community ownership in remote areas where the costs of transport or overwintering might otherwise prove prohibitive for crofting communities.

  The future of the farm land is still under consideration.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what compliance with National Cleaning Services Specification is audited and reported for hospitals other than those coded as A1 (acute teaching) and A2 (acute non-teaching).

Nicola Sturgeon: All premises owned or run by an NHS board, from operating theatres to office areas, are audited against the compliance tool and the national cleaning specification standards and there is a rectification process embedded in the monitoring system for managers to develop and implement an action plan to address any issues, as required. The results of the A1 and A2 hospitals are reported to the Scottish Government’s Health Directorates.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the report by Health Facilities Scotland’s independent assessor on each NHS board’s audit of its cleaning process will be made available to the Parliament.

Nicola Sturgeon: The draft report was only recently received by Health Facilities Scotland (HFS). The final report will be placed on the HFS website in due course and I will write to the member as soon as I can to advise him of precisely when that will be. A copy will also be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 46781) when the report is published.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when a comprehensive report on cleaning status in all health facilities will be available.

Nicola Sturgeon: There are currently no plans to alter the decision taken by the previous administration, which was to publish information on cleaning compliance at board level and A1 and A2 hospitals only. However, this is kept under review.

Licensing

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions can be taken against managers of licensed premises and their employees who sell alcohol to individuals who are inebriated.

Kenny MacAskill: Under section 76 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976, it is an offence for a licence-holder or his employee or agent to sell or supply in licensed premises any alcoholic liqueur to a drunken person. The maximum penalty is a fine of level 5 with the licence-holder vicariously liable for the offence and both the holder and the premises liable to disqualification.

  This provision will be replaced from 1 September 2009 by section 113 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 which provides that any responsible person who, on any relevant premises, sells alcohol to a person who is drunk commits an offence. A person guilty of such an offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

Licensing

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions can be taken against managers of off-sales premises and their employees who sell alcohol to individuals who are inebriated.

Kenny MacAskill: Under section 76 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976, it is an offence for a licence-holder or his employee or agent to sell or supply in licensed premises any alcoholic liqueur to a drunken person. The maximum penalty is a fine of level 5 with the licence-holder vicariously liable for the offence and both the holder and the premises liable to disqualification.

  This provision will be replaced from 1 September 2009 by section 113 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 which provides that any responsible person who, on any relevant premises, sells alcohol to a person who is drunk commits an offence. A person guilty of such an offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

Licensing

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13979 by Kenny MacAskill on 16 June 2008, how many retailers had their licences to sell alcohol (a) suspended or (b) revoked in 2007, broken down by local authority.

Kenny MacAskill: The number of off sales liquor licences suspended in 2007 is given in the following table:

  

 Local Authority
 Licences Suspended


 Dundee City
 1


 East Ayrshire
 1


 East Lothian
 2


 Edinburgh, City of
 3


 Glasgow City
 1


 North Lanarkshire
 3


 Perth and Kinross
 2


 Stirling
 1


 West Lothian
 1


 Scotland Total
 15



  There were no licences suspended in the remaining 23 local authorities.

  The legislation under which these licences were granted does not make provision for the revocation of a licence. However, legislation has recently been passed which does make such a provision and will come fully into force in 2009.

Licensing

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the last time was that an (a) on-sales and (b) off-sales premises had its licence removed as a result of a test purchase of alcohol.

Kenny MacAskill: Such action is the responsibility of local licensing boards. The information requested is not held centrally.

Licensing

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) on-sales and (b) off-sales premises have had their licences removed as a result of a test purchase of alcohol in the last year, broken down by police force area.

Kenny MacAskill: Local licensing boards are responsible for taking action against licences. The information requested is not held centrally.

Licensing

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the last time was that an (a) on-sales and (b) off-sales premises had its licence removed having been found selling alcohol to people under the age of 18, broken down by police force area.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) on-sales and (b) off-sales premises have had their licences suspended for (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) nine months in each local authority in the last year.

Kenny MacAskill: Such action is the responsibility of local licensing boards. The information requested is not held centrally.

Licensing

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many test purchases of alcohol have been carried out in each of the last two years in (a) on-sales and (b) off-sales premises, broken down by police force area.

Kenny MacAskill: Police Force
 2007
 2008


 On-Sale
 Off-Sale
 On-Sale
 Off-Sale


 Central
 
 
 
 55


 Dumfries and Galloway
 
 32
 
 45


 Fife
 1
 27
 22
 123


 Grampian
 
 
 2
 69


 Lothian and Borders
 
 20
 
 183


 Northern
 
 
 
 10


 Strathclyde
 
 235
 5
 414


 Tayside
 
 11
 
 29



  The figures available for the amount of test purchases undertaken by Scottish police forces are for the period December 2007 to September 2008.

  The 2007 figures do not include test purchases which were part of the Fife Constabulary test purchasing pilot. This commenced in June 2006 and ran for one year in which 415 on-sale premises and 443 off-sale premises were tested.

Prison Service

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is scope within the Scottish Prison Service for young inmates to be provided with access to and relevant training in the use of new technologies, in particular the internet, while maintaining appropriate levels of security to safeguard both the inmates and the general public.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Information technology (IT) is regarded as core skill to be offered to Scottish prisoners and all learning centres in Scottish prisons, including those who hold young offenders, offer a range of IT courses at different levels.

  No prisoner in Scotland has direct access to the internet. The Scottish Prison Service has however identified the options for developing a nationally available secure prisoner intranet as a strategic issue. This would have the potential to enhance the training and learning opportunities for Scottish prisoners using new technologies while maintaining appropriate levels of security for both prisoners and the public.

Whisky

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an assurance to whisky distilleries that offer guided tours of their distillery that the proposals in the Scottish Government’s forthcoming alcohol strategy will not include the barring of distilleries from offering a free dram with the tour and promotion of their goods at the visitor centre.

Kenny MacAskill: I have already given such an assurance in respect of drams provided as part of a distillery tour when I met the Scotch Whisky Association and toured Dewar’s World of Whisky on 21 July 2008. Wider issues concerning the promotion of alcohol are being considered in light of the responses to the Scottish Government’s consultation Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol but we are clear that we do not propose ban promotions that explain the method of production, history and heritage of Scotland’s quality products. Again, we have already given the Scotch Whisky Association an assurance that we will discuss these matters with them before proposing any regulatory action to end the irresponsible promotion of alcohol.

Wildlife

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16278 by Michael Russell on 25 September 2008, what consultation or investigation it carried out on the impact of withdrawing funding to fox destruction clubs in the Highlands and Islands prior to sending out the notification to the clubs in May 2008.

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it asked for the views of fox destruction clubs in the Highlands and Islands when notifying these clubs in May 2008 that funding was to be withdrawn.

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who it consulted regarding the withdrawal of funding to fox destruction clubs in the Highlands and Islands.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has considered representations made in response to the letter issued to fox destruction clubs in May 2008.

  I have already committed to continue funding for the scheme for the 2008-09 season and I will be examining the scope for continuing support for future years. I expect to be able to make an announcement on this in due course.

Wildlife

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which fox destruction clubs in the Highlands and Islands it contacted to notify them that funding was to be withdrawn.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government wrote to the following fox destruction clubs in the Highlands and Islands:

  

 Appin Fox Club
 Argyll


 Ardchattan Vermin Control Society
 Argyll


 Atholl and Breadalbane Fox Control Society
 Argyll


 Cowal Fox Control Association
 Argyll


 Craignish and District Fox Control Club
 Argyll


 South Lorn Fox Control Club
 Argyll


 Kintyre Fox Hunting Society
 Campbeltown


 Lochaber and Sunart Fox Society
 Fort William


 Brae Lochaber Fox Club
 Inverness


 Three Straths Fox Control Association
 Inverness


 Glen Fox Club
 Isle of Skye


 Minginish Fox Club
 Isle of Skye


 Trotternish Fox Club
 Isle of Skye


 Aultbea and District Fox Control Club
 Ross


 Gairloch & Inverasdale Fox Control Club
 Ross


 Glenelg and District Fox Control Club
 Ross


 Durness Fox Club
 Sutherland


 Tongue Fox Club
 Sutherland


 Lochbroom Fox Club
 Wester Ross



  I have already committed to continue funding for the scheme for the 2008-09 season and I will be examining the scope for continuing support for future years. I expect to be able to make an announcement on this in due course.